Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR) today announced that it had decided to offer its customers free access to Netflix's content library. At a cost of NIS 69 a month, subscribers to Partner's television service will be able to use the library free of charge for six months. The benefit will be available from today to both new and previous subscribers.
Partner is thereby exchanging the Netflix subscription for NIS 20 that it originally announced when it launched its Partner TV service for a different benefit: six months of free access to Netflix.
Payment after six months will be on a single invoice; in other words, Netflix can be paid through Partner, but at the regular market price of NIS 30-50 a month, depending on the type of package. At the same time, since subscribing to the service requires no payment for installation, anyone can subscribe to Partner TV for six months and gain access to Netflix, which ordinarily costs NIS 40, for six months, together with HD-quality content, and decide what he or she wants to do afterwards.
Netflix, which has the world's largest video content library, announced last July the launching of a service fully adapted to Israel, including a Hebrew interface and payment in shekels. The company has produced a great deal of original content in recent years (such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black). One of the most prominent shows is Narcos, the third season of which premiered this week.
Partner's recently launched television service is designed to compete with the relatively new Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE:CEL; TASE:CEL) TV and the older services of DBS Satellite Services (1998) Ltd. (YES) and Hot Telecommunication Systems Ltd. (TASE: HOT.B1). The company is classified as Netflix's "local partner" in Israel, and is currently the only company offering the service built-in on a converter with a special remote control button.
Partner CEO Isaac Benbenisti said today, "We're delighted and proud of our partnership with Netflix, which enables us to offer the world's best content with the most advanced television service in Israel. Even before we began installing the service, over 20,000 customers registered as being interested in joining Partner TV. In recent weeks, we have already installed the service in hundreds of homes throughout Israel."
Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on September 3, 2017
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